‘Slow walk’ protest held on road in Kirby Misperton

A 'slow walk' protest took place at Kirby Misperton this afternoon, as protesters walked in front of vehicles leaving the hydraulic fracturing site.

Five members of the protest community walked in the road in front of three vehicles as they left the site, along Habton Road, Kirby Misperton, from 12.50pm to 1.10pm.

Police Liaison Officers ensured everyone was safe, and local traffic was able to pass by the scene of the protest.

After the 20-minute protest, the vehicles continued on their way.

North Yorkshire Police have adopted a ‘neighbourhood policing’ approach to the protests at Kirby Misperton, working with people on all sides of the issue, including protesters and the local community.

Superintendent Alisdair Dey, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Throughout this operation we’ve been balancing the needs and wishes of everyone at Kirby Misperton, minimising disruption to the local community and ensuring protests are peaceful and safe.

“We respond proportionately to any protest activity, so whenever possible we reduce the number of officers at Kirby Misperton, and redeploy them to policing duties elsewhere in North Yorkshire.”